civilwarwikiaorg-20200214-history
Benjamin F. Sands
|died = |placeofbirth = Baltimore, Maryland |placeofdeath = Washington, D.C. |placeofburial= |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image = |caption = Benjamin F. Sands |nickname = |allegiance = United States of America |serviceyears = 1828-1874 |rank = Rear Admiral |branch = United States Navy |unit = Various |battles = engagement at Fort Caswell, First Battle of Fort Fisher, Second Battle of Fort Fisher |awards = }} Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Sands (February 11, 1811 – June 30, 1883) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. U.S. Navy career Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Sands was appointed Midshipman in the United States Navy on April 1, 1828. By 1834, he had served on the Brazil Station and in the West Indies and Mediterranean squadrons. From 1834 to 1841, he was engaged in coastal survey work and during the mid-40's was attached to the Bureau (Depot) of Charts and Instruments at the Naval Observatory. During hostilities between the United States and Mexico, he was attached to the Home Squadron and served off Tabasco and Tuxpan. In the 1850s, he commanded the steamer Walker in the Gulf of Mexico on coast survey duty and invented a deep sea sounding apparatus and other hydrographic instruments. Commissioned Captain in 1862, he served off the west coast on survey duty until 1863, then joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as commander of ''Dacotah''. In February of that year, he participated in the engagement at Fort Caswell. He remained off the Carolinas for another two years, commanding the steamer ''Fort Jackson'' during the attacks on Fort Fisher. In February 1865, he was transferred to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron and assigned to duty off the Texas coast. Through the end of the American Civil War, he commanded a division off that coast; and, on June 2, 1865, took formal possession of Galveston, Texas for the Union. After the war, Sands, appointed Commodore in July 1866, served at the Boston Navy Yard until returning to Washington, D.C. as Superintendent of the Naval Observatory. Commissioned Rear Admiral on April 27, 1871, he remained at the Observatory until he retired in 1874. Family Rear Admiral Sands belonged to a prominent military family. His uncle, Lt. Col. James Harvey Hook (1791–1841), served in War of 1812 and was later Assistant Commissary General of the U.S. Army. His son, James H. Sands, also achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. while another son, George Henry Sands, was a colonel in the US Army and served in Cuba during the Spanish American War. A daughter, Marion, married Rear Admiral Samuel Rhoads Franklin. Sands' eldest brother, Lewis Hook Sands (b.1805), was a colonel in the US Army and served as an Indian agent in the Midwest. A nephew, James Hook Sands, was a captain in the Indiana Cavalry during the Civil War who later served in the regular army during the Indian Wars. Honored in ship naming Two ships were named [[USS Sands|USS Sands]] for him and his son, James H. Sands: *''Sands'' (DD-243/APD-13), a ''Clemson''-class destroyer, commissioned in 1920 *''Sands'' (T-AGOR-6), an oceanographic research ship, placed in service in 1965 Arlington National Cemetery Notes on Sands * Arlington National Cemetery Website - Benjamin F. Sands See also References : Category:1811 births Category:1883 deaths Category:United States Navy admirals Category:American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Category:Union Navy officers Category:Recipients of the Purple Heart medal Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland